Echoing Gears
by CrimsonxTide
Summary: The story of Echo Squad... And how one single, but not forgotten squad, can not only get into a lot of trouble. But can help save a few million lives along the way... OC story with appearances from Delta and other important characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Everyone :) **

**This is going to be my first submission to the site. I hope you like this, because I've been thinking about writing something with these characters for a while, and I hope to continue with them. **

**I'm not going to ask for reviews in order to keep writing because that's just silly, but if you liked the story, or have something constructive to say about it don't hesitate **

_**Sincerely, The Wolfe**_

**P.S. I do not own the Gears of War Universe (But I wish I did ;)**

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The fire captured me. It wasn't a big flame, but big enough to keep us warm during out watch. We were ordered to keep watch for any signs of enemy movement this side of Jacinto. Though I wasn't expecting anything to heavy. Our little encampment wasn't anything more than a couple of tents, an overhang, and a few sandbags for cover. We had a troika positioned between them for support, and of course our little fire place. Snow was falling, and everyone was huddled up.

My Sniper, Elliot was sitting on an old tree stump. She was from the UIR originally, but realized that she needed to break her ties from the old war and create new bonds in order to survive this one. She is one of the strongest people I know. It must be hard to see your friends, your family, and anyone else you care about die, but then turn your cheek the other way. But then, I guess we were never really prepared to fight something like the Locust. Turning her head towards me, she said. "Hey Cail, you think the higher ups will forget about us out here? I'm freezing my ass off." Her accent was heavy, and she was hunched over and trying to warm her hands. The longshot she carried with her religiously was leaning against the log.

Another member of my squad, Aaron, was cleaning his nails with a knife. A rather large man by structure, but you rarely ever saw him get mad at anything, except a certain creature with rough white skin. "We're out here because they don't want us stealing all the action." He joked. His weapon of choice was the old style Lancer. Gets the job done quick, but has a hell of a kick for guys smaller than him.

We all grew silent and waited. _Goddamn the waiting. I wish something would just show itself so I can know my job isn't worthless, _I thought. _Maybe soon._ It was always a maybe game. Maybe we'll see some more action, maybe we won't freeze our asses off anymore, maybe we'll finally end this war... I Sergeant Cail Wolfe, command Echo squad, and that's really about it. Echo's of the wind and bitter snow fall.

"Hey have you guys heard anything about Delta lately?" Asked Aaron. Elliot moved to get more comfortable and replied, "Last I heard they'd taken out the Worm that was sinking the cities." Aaron sat back sheathing his knife. "Wait a damn minute, you mean to tell me that was the real reason behind our cities falling? I thought that was just a joke." "Nope, turns out it's not," I finished. "But if it's Marcus Fenix against a giant worm, I'd bet on Fenix a hundred times outta ten." … "Hell, I'd bet a million times outta ten," added Elliot. Everyone nodded. "That man is a born leader, I know what he did to get into the Slab was wrong, but if they didn't bust him out. We'd still be in the shit." Said Aaron... "Aren't we still in the shit?" I replied.

Suddenly we heard a twig snap in the woods next to us. Everyone got ready. Like clockwork we were ready to kill whatever came out if it was hostile. Elliot hopped over her log and positioned herself. I kneeled down and steadied my Lancer, and Aaron was ready to fire his on the opposite side. Another snap and instantly I could feel the tension building up. I felt like we no longer needed a fire. My heart started to pound. And not because I was nervous, but because I was ready. A leg appeared from the brush. It was a leg of another Gear. One that was apart of my squad. Everyone sighed. "Stand down Echo." I said... "I can't Sergeant, I didn't stand up first." Remarked Jacob. "Alright smart-ass, whatcha got there?" I couldn't help but notice the fresh kill he had gotten from the woods.

Jacob laid the spoils out on the table and started getting the good parts out and ready to cook. "You know, you should have been expecting me, so why the friendly welcoming party?" He asked. "You know why," I replied. "Can't be too careful." Jacob was young, but he was ready. I had watched him kill over a dozen grubs with his Shotguns. He kept both the standard Gnasher, and the double barreled one in case he needed something in a pinch. But definitely a good Gear. We were all proud to have him in Echo. And it also didn't hurt to have him around when we didn't want just MRE's for breakfast.

All of us had basically the same armor on except for Aaron. He had a more summer type of suit with the sleeves cut off. It was a dark green armor with yellow stripes here and there. All the rest of us wore standard issue COG armor. We had our helmets but we rarely ever used them. I heard stories of Gears getting sniped easier because of the helmet believe it or not. And I would rather keep my head for a little longer.

Once Jacob was finished with the food we all dove in. Stuffing our faces for the first time in a few days. We've been out here on watch for about a week and a half. Not that it matters though. We're far enough out from Jacinto that the bastards could just dig up underneath us. Game over. But regardless we had to follow orders. They were from Colonel Hoffman himself. I shuddered when I thought of the man. He had an intimidating presence about him that made me wonder if I should fear him, or just be glad he's on our side.

When the food was gone we began our daily routines, which consisted of two on watch and two on upkeep. Meaning clean the guns and check the inventory for any shortages. After those two simple tasks we're done then we got to rest for a few hours. Write a letter, think of the past, or stare into the sky. Whatever suits you best. Or you could just keep staring at the fire. Either way, after those hours we switched. Elliot and I usually paired up. I had to admit, for a soldier she was pretty. Long dark brown hair and probably more fit than any of us here. If we weren't in war time I'd probably ask her to dinner or something else. But maybe she didn't even like those kind of things. Who knows what the people in the UIR did for fun besides get into wars and kill.

I needed to stay focused so I decided to drop the idea and kept watching the perimeter. In the corner of my eye I saw Elliot raise her rifle. I tried to follow her line of sight and raised my Binoculars to see what was up... You can't mistake the look of the ground when it starts to go Seismic. It starts off by things along the ground shaking and hopping into the air, then it gets bigger and you can feel it all around you. Then the world beneath comes up and swallows anything caught in the middle. Next thing you know you've either got dead Gears, dead Locust, or both. "This is it Echo!" I yelled. "Into position, we've got enemy contact."

Aaron and Jacob moved in behind us and prepared for battle. Since Jacob only had shotguns he manned the troika and prepared to mulch anything that poked their unlucky head out of that hole. "GROUND WALKERS!" We heard a locust shout as he threw a grenade our way. Fortunately it didn't reach us. We took cover behind the sandbags as Jacob started to fire the troika. The blast kick started my heart into pulse pounding rhythm. When we raised it was hard to see from the smoke of the blast. Once it cleared we had a few threats to deal with. A Mauler, Kantus, and a few grubs. And I swore I saw a wretch book it into the trees, but I could have been wrong. Elliot started trying to pick the weak points off the Mauler. "Elliot! Aim for the Kantus!" I shouted over the bullets. They whipped past us and hit some of the trees behind. I looked up into the sky and to my horror I saw reavers billow through the sky towards Jacinto. Then I felt a massive earth shaking pound. I knew what that was. No Gear can mistake the foot stomp of a Brumak. It wasn't focused on us though, just in the area. Probably heading for Jacinto as well.

"Control this is Echo 1 on the south perimeter of Jacinto. Requesting Immediate back up and air support. We have reavers, large scale grubs, and a Brumak." I radioed. If we didn't get back up soon we'd be neck high is grub shit. "Echo 1 this is control. We're rerouting a raven to your position, but no promises. We've got all of our hands tied here." the man on the other line said... "What do you mean you have your hands tied!?" I asked. "Echo the scale of this attack is larger than you think. It appears that a large majority of the Locust are focusing a full frontal assault on us. You aren't the only ones who need support." … _Shit, what the hell is happening?! _I thought. "Sarge! What are we going to do?!" Yelled Aaron." ... "Alright Echo step it up, we may be on our own here." I shouted.

I started focusing fire on the Mauler to keep it back while Jacob tried mowing down the grubs. Elliot was scanning to find the Kantus. It had taken refuge in the woods. For some reason time seemed to slow down. This had never happened to me. It was like I needed to look somewhere specific. Like something dangerous was about to jump out at us from a flank. _The Wretch! _I thought, just as it reared its ugly face out of the brush and jumped on me. Over the gun fire no one noticed that I was struggling with it. I pulled out my knife but it kicked it out and slashed my arm with it's hand. I gave it a swift punch to the face and grabbed my lancer. Before it had another chance I revved the chainsaw and cut it in half. Blood spewed everywhere. That's when my squad started to notice.

Aaron was slowing down the smaller grubs with his Retro Lancer. Trying to give us as much space as possible. "Don't let them box us in!" he shouted, throwing a grenade to their side to keep them funneled into our line of side. We all started doing the same, and it seemed like we were picking them off, but then they would rise again. At this rate we'd run out of ammo. So Elliot rolled out into the open to make a run for it into the woods. "Cover Elliot and I," Aaron yelled, running after her. The Mauler was closing in and we'd soon need to back up. _Goddamn it die!_... I jumped over the sandbag with a grenade in my hand and stood in front of the hulking Mauler, not afraid to die, but eager to kill it. I waited for it to slam it's massive flail down before moving in. It shook the ground around me, and I almost lost my balance. The beats in my heart started to skip as every bullet passed me. But Jacob kept holding the grubs back. I ran up underneath it's arm and stuck the grenade on it's shoulder before rolling out of the blast range.

A few grubs were staring me down with their hammerbursts eyes intent on killing me the second they could pull the trigger again. I had to move quickly so the only thing I could think of was to pick up the Mauler's shield. Then I realized that the grubs weren't getting healed from Jacob's fire. Elliot and Aaron must have got the Kantus. Before the grubs could shoot me down my two comrades emerged from the woods. One grub got spiked by Aaron's bayonet, while Elliot starting beating down another. I ran after them to join in the fun... After a couple more exhausting minutes the fighting was over. At least for us it was.

"Damn, I never thought we'd get that much action that soon." Said Jacob. "Yeah, me either," replied Elliot laying down for a quick rest... I looked towards the sky, past the tree line to where Jacinto was. More shaking and bullets flying were coming from that direction. It's where I knew we had to go. "No time for rest Echo, come on, we've got a city to help defend. Let's go, double time!" Once they got a head I put my fingers on the earpiece. "Control this is Echo 1, we're still alive and armed, heading your way now." … "Copy Echo 1. Make your way to the CIC for new orders. The Colonel is enacting defensive measures so hurry."

"Roger that, Echo out."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, Wolfe here :D ... Here's the next part to this story. A little shorter than the last but I wanted to find somewhere to leave it before heading off to work**

**You'll get to meet a big nasty villain in this chapter ;) ... In any case, enjoy. Read and Review please ^_^**

_**Sincerely, The Wolfe**_

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I'd say we were about 24 klicks out from Jacinto when we started. Our perpetual waiting game seemed to finally be over, however a new threat staged it's face directly in front of all humanity, and that was our extinction. If Jacinto fell, then the human race was more than likely good as gone. I just hoped we could get there in time. Sweat rolling down my face, and the breaths of my comrades panting but going strong. It gave me the courage and motivation to know I had such a loyal team. No plans of dying today, but sometimes you don't always get what you want. Better stay focused.

We were running down the side of a road that looked no different than the one our encampment sat beside. Soon we could see the gate to get into the city. But I figured that would be too easy, and we'd more than likely be spotted, killed, end of story. We took cover along a large rock positioned on the side. A few grubs were out in the open, rummaging through some crates of ammo. _Maybe their guns are dry, _I thought, but I made up my mind and threw a frag out. Beautiful throw, right beside the crate "GRENADE!" I heard one yell in a panic. How the hell do they even talk? I'll have to ask someone from the science division whenever I get a chance. The explosion ignited the ammo and it sent bits of hollow vermin and ammunition in every direction. Dirt and dust covered the air. When I checked, no grubs were left, so we pushed forward.

The armor gets heavier every mile you walk, or at least that's how I felt when I first signed up. But after years of it you get used the heaviness, and you almost start to become one with the armor, and it becomes one with you. It wasn't much longer before we could hear all the fighting. We needed to get inside fast, but in secret. We creeped along the side of the main wall and found a maintenance entrance. We all entered the door and the smell reeked. "Oh, well, looks like we're really in the shit now, eh Sarge?" Cracked Aaron.

Jacob opened up the hatch to get into the sewer system. One by one we all descended down the rusted ladder into the depths of the sewer. The hole was so small that we almost didn't fit, except for Elliot of course. Once we all dropped in I radioed to control. "Control this is Echo, we've arrived at Jacinto but are taking a stealthier approach to getting to CIC. We're in the sewer system. Where's the closest access point?" I asked. "Copy Echo. I see your location. The maps are saying go 3 klicks north. You should come to a T, take the left and keep going. You'll see the access point." … "Thanks control," I said. "Echo be warned. There have been reports of Locust using the sewers. Some have not been identified yet." … "Duly noted. Echo out." I finished.

"What the hell does that mean? Unidentified Locust?" Questioned Jacob. "It means Locust we've never encountered before until today," answered Elliot... "Sounds like fun to me, lets give it a shot, literally." Said Aaron hitting his massive fists together. Everyone looked at me, waiting to reply. I just gave a small smirk and motioned my hand to move. "Let's move Echo, double time." Everyone complied. Thankfully there were walkways on the side made of concrete to avoid the sludge that infested the underground of Jacinto. The smell wasn't getting any easier to handle though. An intersection was up ahead and a few Locust came through it, heading East. "Everyone back," I whispered, using my arm to push back Jacob to the wall. Everyone followed suit and waited for the Locust to pass. There were too many of them, and not enough cover for us. A sigh of relief came from Elliot. We checked to make sure they were gone and then we continued.

"Did you see that huge one?" Asked Aaron. _I know I did._ You couldn't mistake the bastard. There have been stories of a grub General, not unlike RAAM, that has been coordinating a few assaults on smaller villages and towns. An overhauled Mauler with less fat and even more muscle. They've been calling him "Targe." I said aloud. The only Mauler with full body armor like a boom shield, and two flails. A nasty enemy to approach. One I certainly didn't expect to see down here. _This is getting riskier than I __thought. _"We need to keep moving. If that bastard finds us, we might as well kiss our lives goodbye." I finished. Once again we were on the move. "Control, be advised, we've spotted Targe in the sewer system headed East." I radioed. "Thanks for the heads up Echo. We''ll let our boys on the East side know. Continue heading to CIC. Control out." He finished... Something didn't sit right with me about the whole situation though. I decided to shrug it off and keep going. Every once in a while you would see slants in the wall that were for storm drains. The concrete on the wall looked very old. But then again, Jacinto is a pretty old city. It was dark. Just dark enough to be annoying, but not dark enough that we couldn't see where we were going. For some reason it was harder for our eyes to get adjusted underneath.

Finally we came to the T. "Control said left." I said... I hesitated for a moment, and looked down the right side. The thought of Targe and our fellow Gears above us plagued my every thought. How everyone of them would be affected if the grub General tried to attack them. "What are you thinking?" Asked Elliot... "We can't leave Targe out on the loose. We have to go East and cut him off before he makes it any further." I concluded. Everyone's faces changed to confusion. This was the time where I'd find out where their loyalties were. "Look you don't have to come with me. But I've got something personal in this." … "Yeah we all do Sarge," said Jacob, "But you can't just disregard orders like that, they need us at the CIC." Aaron stepped in and gave me a questioning look. "Are you sure about this?" ... There was silence for a few moments. I reached into my pocket and felt the cold sting of metal. Upon pulling the object out, everyone saw that they were COG tags. "These, are my brother's tags." I said, not missing a beat. The downcast look on everyone's faces told me that they knew my pain. Everyone has lost someone in this war, and if not this one than certainly in the last one. "Targe took out his squad last week. Took him out while I was on fucking watch!" I yelled, putting the tags back in my pocket. "You remember when that officer came to talk to me? This was the reason why. To let me know they were _sorry_, and to give me the tags.

"Shit Sarge... we didn't know." Said Jacob... Echo had met my little brother before, we were all at Mercy hospital visiting another friend of ours that had rust lung. Andy was a young spirited optimist with goals and dreams. But this war took everything from him. I vowed vengeance upon every last grub last week. I vow I intend to keep until my dying breath... Aaron lost it and picked up a large piece of random rock, throwing it as hard as he could against the wall. "You guys go up to CIC, I've got this one. Let Control know I got injured and couldn't carry on." I ordered, turning around to head East. I got two steps in before a small hand laid on my shoulder. I turned slightly to see her face. "We're not leaving you Cail." A small smile appearing across her face. It may have been dark, but it was light enough to see. "Yeah, your not gonna get rid of us that easily." Added Aaron, lifting his Lancer up, ready to go. "Well, I'm not crazy about it Sarge, but I can't let you all do it alone. You guys need me and you know it." Jacob joked... "Thanks guys. I mean it." I said. Elliot took her hand off my shoulder. "Your call Sarge." I thought of my brother one more time, how painful it might have been for him. How he thought that maybe I'd come and save him, or that he'd get out to live another day. Only to be crushed underneath Targe's flail. I cleared my head and radioed Control. "Control this is Echo, change of plans. We're heading East to cut Targe off." … A few seconds passed but then we could all hear someone else getting on the line. "Wolfe you listen Goddammit! I've got gears spread out everywhere, and if you don't come back here I'll make sure you never lead a squad again!" The voice of Hoffman was angry and rasp. He'd definitely been giving out more than his fair share of orders today. I sighed before going back to the earpiece. "Sir, all due respect but you won't have Gears at all on the Eastern side if you don't send backup!" I debated. "I have backup against that bastard, and your not part of that plan. Do you understand me!?" His final words. "Yeah Colonel, I understand. And I'll take it under advisement." I finished before cutting the line.

"Well we're royally fucked." Said Aaron. Elliot added in, "yeah but that's if we don't get killed by Targe first." … "Well damn, if you guys keep thinking like that we'll never get anything done." replied Jacob walking ahead. All of us laughed at how calm Jacob could be before heading East. "You know guys. I never got a chance to thank you for your loyalty. Not just now, but from the beginning too." I said, listening to the splash of water against our boots on the soaked concrete path. "No need to thank us Cail." Elliot said. She was the only person to call me by my name. She was the first to join Echo, other than myself, so I guess she held that right. "In any case. Let's go get that grub." Aaron exclaimed... "Yeah, all in a day's work, right guys?" Jacob added before we came to the rusted ladder that would take us up to the Eastern side. To the metal and concrete jungle of Jacinto.


End file.
